‘Own it’: Empowering neuro-affirming workstyles and environments with Joey Ballantyne

Work With Purpose

Monday March 24, 2025

Trigger warning: themes of mental health/sexual assault

Robin Edmonds from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts and Joey Ballantyne of Grit n Grace Collective talk about neurodiversity, developing a strong sense of self, and supporting people to learn and work in a way that helps them thrive.

When Joey Ballantyne, founder of Grit n Grace Collective, speaks about breaking the survive/burnout cycle, and her late autism diagnosis, it comes from the heart. Driven by her own experience, she started her own neuro-affirming professional development program, built to empower atypical women in the workplace.

In this special Work with Purpose conversation, Joey and guest host Robin Edmonds, co-chair and co-founder of the Australian Public Sector Neurodiversity Community of Practice and assistant director, Media Reform at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, shed light on the experiences of neurodivergent women in the workplace, and the specific challenges they face. They also talk about ways to get to know yourself, and how managers can build inclusive team cultures that benefit everyone.

Key tips:

Develop a strong sense of self and what you need in a work environment to succeed
As a leader, give agency to your staff to show you how they work best. For example, ask people how they want to receive feedback
Be clear about meeting purposes, take notes, and give people time to process.